Hi, I recently lost my 8 year old shih tzu in January due to a live shunt we knew nothing about. Since researching some dog breeds which my family and I are interested in a Tibetan Terrier it seems that on all the health issues they can suffer from liver shunts and bladder stones (my dog also had) are on there. Are these common health issues for this type of breed or are they rare. Also we are thinking of finding a puppy through an assured breeder on the kennel club do they have to do health cheeks on their puppies to see if they have a liver shunt or anything. Sorry for the long post it’s just something we are worried about as Benny was so loved and it was so hard seeing him get ill so quickly.
The Tibetan Terrier seems to be a long lived breed, but there is not a DNA test for this condition, and I can't answer your question. The Tibetan Terrier is one of the few breeds that has a 'resident ' animal scientist, Dr. Mike Tempest, - who is also a successful breeder and a breed club committee member. If you suspect that this might be a problem in the breed, I would be inclined to contact the breed club, The Tibetan Terrier Association, and seek their advice.
